Emirates
has announced its return to Beirut, Lebanon, and Baghdad, Iraq, as tensions continue to simmer down in the Middle East.
Daily flights to Beirut and Baghdad
In a statement on January 24, Emirates said that it would relaunch services to Beirut, Lebanon, and Baghdad, Iraq, with daily flights to both cities starting on February 1. Boeing 777-300ERs
will operate itineraries to Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport (BEY) and Baghdad International Airport (BGW).
The airline noted that it will deploy its three-class 777-300ER aircraft to Beirut, offering 5,000 seats both ways each week, adding more choice, comfort, and connectivity from the Lebanese capital to Dubai International Airport
(DXB) and the carrier’s global network of 140 destinations.
Photo: Steve Worner | Shutterstock
Starting April 1, Emirates will add a second daily flight to Beirut. While the itinerary that will resume its flights to Beirut on February 1 will depart Dubai at 11:30 local time (UTC +4), the second daily flight will be a morning service that will leave the airline’s central hub at 7:30. The latter itinerary will also be operated by the airline’s three-class 777-300ER.
Emirates has five different 777-300ER configurations, according to its fleet page. Two-class 777-300ERs welcome 427 or 442 passengers, while three-class aircraft of the type welcome 354, 358, or 364 travelers.
Refurbished 777-300ERs, with Emirates beginning the cabin retrofit program of its fleet in August 2022, seat either eight first, 40 business, 24 premium economy, and 256 economy or six first, 38 business, 24 premium economy, and 256 economy class passengers, according to ch-aviation data.
The airline’s first retrofitted 777-300ER entered commercial service in August 2024. Meanwhile, the first Airbus A380
rolled into the hangar to be retrofitted in November 2022, entering commercial service in January 2023. While the initial plan was to retrofit 120 aircraft, in May 2024, the airline expanded the program to 191 aircraft.

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Flights to Levant countries
Data from the aviation analytics company Cirium’s Diio Mi airline planning tool showed that Emirates has only operated flights to five destinations within the Levant region, which includes Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria (broader definitions also include Iraq and other countries) since 2023.
This includes flights to Amman Queen Alia International Airport (AMM), Baghdad, Basra International Airport (BSR), Beirut, and Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport
(TLV).
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
However, the airline suspended flights to Baghdad and Beirut in October 2024 (and again in November), while flights to Tel Aviv have remained closed for bookings since October 2023.
At the same time, flydubai
, the low-cost carrier based in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and closely aligned with Emirates, has continued to serve Baghdad and Tel Aviv. It suspended flights to Beirut in September 2024, with Cirium’s Diio Mi data showing that it will resume flights to Lebanon in February.
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Emirates has resumed flights to Iraq, while services to Iran and Lebanon remain suspended.
De-escalating conflicts
Throughout the past few months, with Israel signing peace agreements with Hezbollah and later Hamas, tensions have lowered within the Levant region, enabling carriers to resume operations to such countries as Israel and Lebanon safely.
Photo: ChameleonsEye | Shutterstock
Several airlines, including Delta Air Lines
and such European carriers as British Airways
or the whole Lufthansa Group
, announced that they would resume flights to Israel within the next few weeks or months.

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However, while Delta Air Lines confirmed the development, United Airlines reiterated that its flights to Tel Aviv remain suspended.